Radical
If you follow his lead you might find yourself joining the prophets as they “wander in deserts and mountains, living in caves and in holes in the ground.”
One woman, in response to David’s teaching, donated a wedding ring to help rebuild homes in an earthquake-ravaged area of Indonesia. On the surface it sounds noble…but!?
To drive his point Platt magnifies the Rich Young Ruler as the model for New Testament Christians – sell all, give everything away. Not exactly a mainstream concept. It would be easier to identify with the spirit of the book if his abandon-everything approach to missions was at least accompanied with a little more detail and maybe a long-term view but it just isn’t there.
It also doesn’t help that his teachings, in principle, aren’t original and he offers no fresh angles to consider. Even the misinterpretations (Rich Young Ruler) sound familiar and, sadly, the whole thing lacks creativity. The word “plethora” – hackneyed to say the least – was used twice!
The main points of the book – personal sacrifice and compassion for the less privileged – are accepted by all but covered only in broad strokes and his arguments are bolstered mostly by examples from the most abused and least provisioned Christian communities in the world.
It isn’t difficult to see how this combination of ideas can produce a lot of emotional turbulence.
In addition to amplifying the “sell-all—give-it-away” mindset, the American Dream is not just reinterpreted according to Scripture or realigned with biblical purposes but attacked as heresy, particularly the part that encourages each person…
“To attain to the fullest stature of which they are innately capable.”
Never mind the facts:
- God created our innate abilities
- Developing those abilities glorifies God’s name (not to mention builds character)
- And once developed they become the tools of our usefulness to God
He leads us to think that ability is a barrier to serving God when he says we are in danger of assuming “our greatest asset is our own ability.”
There is a veneer of truth to that remark but unqualified it seems to imply that human ability is the antithesis to God’s power. To him, the two are apparently mutually exclusive.
Platt’s ideas, therefore, suggest that spirituality is directly proportional to:
- How little you develop personally
- How little you have materially and
- How much opposition your faith must overcome.
But he contradicts himself. Some of his greatest examples of sacrifice (Daniel, an engineering graduate with honors; Steve, an accountant and Jeff, a very successful businessman) are highly accomplished individuals. Their ability to sacrifice is predicated on their achievements and material resources. If Mr. Platt is not opposed to human accomplishment, it would have been helpful had he said so.
Fortunately, where the Rich Young Ruler is concerned, he backs off a little in the latter part of the book. Not every person must sell all and give to the poor but only those who “may” be called to do so. Unfortunately, he doesn’t exactly tell us how to differentiate between the “sell all” category and everyone else. No doubt many in his church – a very large one – feel this calling incumbent.
“Extreme” might be a better title than Radical
- “Spiritually dead” sounds more like “stupid.” He refers to most people as deluded, disillusioned and in danger of spiritual deception. I have never thought of people generally as being quite that dull.
- “Self denial” sounds more like “annihilation.” His idea of dying to self is more like wasting self. Kind of like the man who buried his talents rather than increase them.
- “Bible study” is a never ending marathon, starting at 6 PM and going till after midnight.
- At one point he even says, “in some sense, God also hates sinners.”
In places, the book is more John-McArthur-ish than Jesus-like.
On the surface, Mr. Platt’s thoughts aren’t wrong and no reasonable Christian could disagree but in spite of the traditional veneer some of his ideas are a bit tangential.
I don’t doubt Mr. Platt’s sincerity and he is on the right track but hopefully he will temper his enthusiasm so it becomes a bit more sustainable over the long haul. A slow burn is more efficient than instantaneous combustion.
Other Reviews
You may or may not agree with the reviewers but there is a common thread of concerns expressed in all these reviews.
- Spencer Robinson – “If I had a feather for every time Platt said ‘Radical,’ I’ld have a chicken.”
- Christine Pack – “. . . Seems to be a subtle form of ‘missions pietism.'”
- Gary Gilley – “. . . A bundle of contradictions.”
- Kevin Deyoung – “. . . Not everything here is helpful.”
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THINK!Aboutit
Very good observation, Chris. You’ve put your finger on the real issue. Extreme representations of spiritual concepts often cause them to bleed together making it difficult to distinguish one from another. Discipleship, sanctification, sacrifice, commitment, calling, etc. all become one thing, salvation.
Thanks for the comment.
Well I think every Christian should embrace the Lordship of Christ with crazy love and radical faith. However it becomes a problem when you equate this with salvation. We do these things out of love and gratitude not because its what saves us but because God is changing us. You rely on faith to save you not the works you can do to prove your a Christian. They go to far in mingling justification with sanctification, salvation with discipleship.
Thanks for the visit and taking time to comment.
“Platt’s book wasn’t exactly an exposition of Scripture. It was mostly his ideas about many issues which are primarily philosophical and the interpretations he did provide are very questionable, inconsistent even.”
This is interesting to me because my husband and I were very comfortable with his use of scripture. Of course we, as American Christians, are quick to find ways of discrediting this book, not because it is false teaching, but because it is difficult. It’s tough for us to realize that the guy we are supposed to be modeling our lives after was virtually homeless, broke, and hung out with twelve dudes with the sole purpose being to spread the gospel to the nations. But that’s just too hard for us Americans. Better to sit back in our four bedroom home with the white picket fence, two kids and a dog, attending a church building on Sundays and never having to give a care in the world about everyday comforts.
I am amazed at how easily the Devil gets a hold of Christians to convince them NOT to do what Jesus so clearly called us to: Yes, IN SCRIPTURE.
Platt’s book wasn’t exactly an exposition of Scripture. It was mostly his ideas about many issues which are primarily philosophical and the interpretations he did provide are very questionable, inconsistent even. Read the book. You’ll see what I mean.
Since most of what he said was a matter of philosophy I responded in kind.
If you have questions about specific verses I’ll be glad to answer or refer you to someone who has already provided an answer.
Why is there no scripture in your review? All I see here is your opinion. I understand that it’s your website, but if you’re trying to give a Biblical perspective on this book you should use the Bible.
Thanks for the visit and the comment Renee.
It sounds like your experience with Gwen has inoculated you against further nonsense.
Although I don’t agree with Platt’s ideas – extreme – I do believe reading and thinking through his book critically is a useful exercise. Get all you can from the experience. Hope all goes well.
Our church just threw out all their Baptist materials in favor of using this book for SS curriculum for the next 6 weeks. I am on the 2nd chapter and am already feeling uneasy about this decision…I remember being taken in by Gwen Shamblin. 🙁
Thanks for the heads-up on the misspelling but I think I’ll leave it for now. It at least drew a comment.
For the record I don’t dislike John any more than I dislike David but I do find it interesting that someone who respects John as much as you seem to would be critical of being critical 🙂
Just kidding – go well.
“In places, the book is more John-McArthur-ish” Who is John McArthur? Do you mean John MacArthur? If you want to be critical, maybe you should learn to spell his name. Whether you like him or not, I believe John MacArthur has a much better understanding of scripture than Mr. Platt may ever have. John is a much better writer too.
Thanks for taking the time to comment Dara.
I have been through similar situations in the past myself and I think the experience sensitized me to pick up on issues which aren’t readily apparent to distant observers. It isn’t easy living through those things and it isn’t always easy to get over. I’m sure Dr. Platt is sincere but that, unfortunately, is not enough to make him right.
I wish you all the best in your new endeavors.
Could not agree more with your review. My husband and I have been members of Dr. Platt’s church for seven years, since before he became its pastor. One of the letters printed in Radical was written by my husband about our attempts to follow the Radical Experiment. We ran out of steam very quickly, and ever since have been driven to “obey” by a sense of legalistic urgency that I am almost certain is not from the Spirit. In his church, Dr. Platt rarely, if ever, emphasizes the personal walk with Christ, growth in the Spirit, or sanctification. After hearing his messages for the past four years, we recently decided to move to a different church. I am gratified to know we are not the only ones with this complaint about Dr. Platt’s book/preaching. Most commentary I have read about it is extremely supportive, addressing none of the concerns you mention in your review.